U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,118 describes a ribbon cartridge that is attached to a carrier and that is tiltable about an axis parallel to the print line of a typewriter. The ribbon cartridge comprises a trunnion on one side and holding means on the opposite side of the cartridge. Both the trunnion and the holding means are arranged symmetrically in relation to the tilting axis. The mentioned holding means comprises two holes provided in two protruding ears on the one side of the cartridge, each hole equally distanced from the tilting axis. Inserting the cartridge into place calls for placing those two holes into fingers provided on the carrier and then lowering the cartridge so that the trunnion is caught by a slidable latch. Once placed on the carrier, the cartridge can be tilted around its tilting axis by moving up and down those fingers that are fixed inserted in the holding holes. The tilting serves the purpose to present different parts of a wider ribbon for use by the imprinting type font. It is also possible to provide print line visibility by tilting it out of an observer's eyesight to render the printed item visible for the operator. Furthermore, if a correcting cartridge is attached to the ink or print ribbon cartridge, the ink ribbon can be tilted out of the way and instead the lift-off ribbon can be presented to the imprinting type font. These different tilting procedures are controlled by a ribbon lift mechanism in an extent that is in accordance with the intended needs and purposes. The procedure to insert a cartridge onto the carrier and to remove it later on from that carrier is rather cumbersome and relatively time consuming. Moreover, the mechanical construction comprises many parts and is rather complicated and bulky.
A ribbon cartridge latch is described in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 9, February 1981, pages 3952-3954. This latch is of a special structure and permits the trunnion of a ribbon cartridge to be inserted at an angle and then pivoted into a position perpendicular to the latch with a minimum clearance between the cartridge trunnion in the receiving hole of the latch. How the opposite side of the cartridge is held down onto the carrier and secured to it is not described in that article.